Chicken fajita traybake
An easy and hands-free way to make a tasty chicken fajita mix
10 mins
35 mins
188 kcals
serves 4
FLAMING FAJITA TRAYBAKE
Satisfying, spicy chicken fajita mix is so easy to make with the traybake method. Simply chuck in all of the ingredients and then it’s hands off until they are ready! Serve in wraps or with rice and black beans.
As a top 10 blog favourite, you can also find this recipe in my first cookery book The Slimming Foodie.
Chicken fajitas are a staple in my household- I never get tired of them! They are often a Saturday night dinner for us, but equally I don’t like a meal that involves me standing over a pan on a Saturday night (I’d rather be sitting in front of the fire drinking a glass of wine!). That’s why I tried these as a traybake (or sheet pan) style meal- you can prep it all, pop it in the oven and go and sit down while it cooks, what’s not to love?!
HOMEMADE FAJITA SPICE MIX
I make up my own seasoning mix because many of the ready made ones have sugar added, which, in my opinion, is completely unecessary! This homemade one is JUST as delicious. It’s a combination of 7 herbs and spices, which you might think is a bit faffy, but it only takes 5 minutes to pull together, and while you are at it you can just make a big batch so it’s ready to go whenever you need it! I usually make enough for about 4 meals, and store it in a jam jar.
RECIPE TO BATCH MAKE TEH FAJITA SPICE MIX
If you would like to make a batch of the fajita spice mix here’s what you need:
(To make approximately enough for 4 meals (for 4 people)
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons garlic granules
2 tablespoons onion granules
1 tablespoon salt
Simply combine all of the ingredients and store in a jam jar or other airtight container
HOW CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN
Make this dish vegearian by replacing the chicken with butternut squash or sweet potato. You can bulk it out by stirring in some drained canned beans, such as balck bean or pinto beans, 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
You can serve this however you fancy, with wraps, lettuce, salsa, refried beans, black beans, jalapenos, cheese… I’ve got recipes for all of these, or you can buy them if you don’t have the time to make from scratch.
Fancy making your own refried beans? Here’s my refried beans recipe!
This slow-cooker salsa also goes brilliantly.
Do you fancy turning the fajita chicken into a full-on Mexican bake? Then have a look at these ideas:
WHAT TO SERVE ALONGSIDE CHILLI MAC ‘ N ‘ CHEESE
- Simple side salad- I always like rocket leaves with this as they are quite hardy
- Thinly sliced red and yellow peppers- that fresh cruch is a great complement to this
- Grated/julienned carrot
- Zucchimole- a low fat alternative to guacamole- find the recipe in p.208 of The Slimming Foodie cookbook
- Simple ribbons of raw courgette dressed with some fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt
WHERE CAN I GET MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS?
This recipe is one of the ten most popular recipes on The Slimming Foodie blog, so it made it into my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie!
A Sunday Times Bestseller, you can find my cookbook in many independent bookshops, some larger branches of Sainsburys, and online at many retailers (find out where here).
Chicken fajita traybake
Ingredients
- Low calorie cooking spray or spray oil if you prefer
- 2 onions halved and then sliced
- 3 peppers I use red, orange and yellow de-seeded and cut into strips
- 3 chicken breasts sliced into strips
- 1 batch of my Fajita Spice Mix 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1.5 tsp cumin, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder
- Coriander and lime to serve
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180c.
- Spray the base of a deep, nonstick baking tray with low-calorie cooking spray and spread the onions, peppers and chicken over in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the fajita spice mix evenly over the top, and give it all a shuffle around to coat in the spices
- Spray with cooking spray (or spray oil)
- Pop the baking tray into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, and the peppers and onions are cooked and very slightly charred.
- Serve with fresh lime wedges and coriander
I never thought of doing it this way, it’s so easy! (And tasty)